The Los Angeles City Council has voted to remove 12 homeless camping enforcement zones in Council District 13, marking the first time the city has formally withdrawn areas it had previously designated under its 41.18 ordinance. The 10-3 vote affects parts of Hollywood, Silver Lake, Echo Park and other neighborhoods in the district represented by Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez.
The repealed zones include areas near underpasses and overpasses in Hollywood, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Elysian Valley/Heights, Glassell Park, Historic Filipinotown, Little Armenia, Thai Town and Westlake/Wilshire Center. The citywide rule barring camping within 500 feet of schools and child-care facilities remains in place.
Soto-Martínez has argued that the 41.18 zones do not solve homelessness and instead push unhoused residents from place to place, causing them to lose belongings and making it harder for outreach workers to connect them with services. The measure won support from progressive council members Nithya Raman, Eunisses Hernandez and Ysabel Jurado.
Opponents of the repeal included Monica Rodriguez, Traci Park and Imelda Padilla. The vote underscores ongoing divisions on the council over how to respond to homelessness in Los Angeles, where the 41.18 ordinance has been a flashpoint in debates over encampment enforcement and public safety.
